Please Help - Hen Emergency!

[lisa67steve99]

I noticed one of my Buff Orpingtons acting strangely last night and thought she was trying to lay her first egg. This morning I found her on the roost, unable to raise her head, unable to walk or stand, very lethargic and breathing a little labored. Please tell me what to do - I am new at this and have no idea how to help her! I feel a hard object in the lower rear close to the vent, could it be an egg?

 

[Sarevan]

It sounds like she may be egg bound. You need to glove up put a lubricant on a finger and examine her vent 1-2" inside her vent. If you can feel an egg that is hard and she is straining she is having problems.

Bring her in and soak her in warm water up to the bottom of her wings, so her vent and abdomen are in the water. Soak for 20-30 minutes. Massage her abdomen toward her vent to help move egg. Give her calcium tablet or liquid calcium gluconate 50-100 mg per kg of birds weight by mouth. You can add epsom salts to soaking water to help relax the muscles to assist egg laying. Dry her.

Put her in a warm dark place, access to feed & water. Repeat the soak and massage in a few hours if egg has not passed. You can also put a lubricant gel or oil inside vent ( like ky) to help pass the egg.

One of my EE's was recently egg bound. A stray neighbors dog scared them in the run and she had flew into the wall landing on her back in her panic. The excitement and panic made her egg go sideways inside. A few hours later I had to manipulate it with a finger in her vent to move it back into position. She managed to expel the egg with a bit of massage to her abdomen. I am not surprised about the weird things that can happen to them anymore.


****edited for mg ml correction & dosage ty Eggcessive for seeing the big mistake, I usually just use cc *****

 

[Eggcessive]

She sounds like she is egg bound. Feel inside her vent 1-2 inches for a stuck egg (rubber glove plus lubricant.) If there is an egg, give her some calcium (a tums, 1/2 adult calcium tablet, or liquid calcium) by mouth in some food or yogurt. Normally I would soak her in a bath to help lay the egg, but if she is critically ill it may kill her. Could she have gotten into something to eat out in her range area that poisoned her, such as a dead animal, fish, or rotted vegetation or maggots? Any moldy feed that she could have eaten?

 

[lisa67steve99]

After examination, she does not have an egg in her. My fear is botulism now, Speckledhen sent some info and it sounds just like her symptoms. I have no idea where she would have gotten anything contaminated. I have checked the feed and the water is fresh. They are in a run, not free range. Not sure what to do at this point.

 

[Eggcessive]

. Give her calcium tablet or liquid calcium gluconate 200-300 ml per kg of birds weight by mouth.

Did you mean to say 200-300 mg rather than ml? I found one reference (Casportpony and Plumb's vet. Handbook) to give liquid calcium gluconate 50-100 mg per Kg (or each 2.2 lb) and it said that each ml equals 230mg per ml. But I haven't used it, only passing along the info.

 

[lisa67steve99]

Thanks for the info. I will try anything to help her.

 

[Eggcessive]

After examination, she does not have an egg in her. My fear is botulism now, Speckledhen sent some info and it sounds just like her symptoms. I have no idea where she would have gotten anything contaminated. I have checked the feed and the water is fresh. They are in a run, not free range. Not sure what to do at this point.

That is what I was thinking about when I mentioned the eating of dead animals. Are there any compost beds or a nearby stream near your coop? Botulism occurs in summer more frequently. I would look over the area for a dead animal lying around in case the others could find it. I hope your chicken recovers from whatever is wrong. Here is more info on botulism: http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/poultry/botulism/overview_of_botulism_in_poultry.html

 

[Eggcessive]

Thanks for the info. I will try anything to help her.

Don't give her any calcium now, of course. Did she have a Mareks vaccine?

 

[Sarevan]

Did you mean to say 200-300 mg rather than ml?  I found one reference (Casportpony and Plumb's vet. Handbook) to give liquid calcium gluconate 50-100 mg per Kg (or each 2.2 lb) and it said that each ml equals 230mg per ml.  But I haven't used it, only passing along the info. 

Omg, thank you for the correction! Must finish coffee before trying to post info like that!

 

[ten chicks]

You do not always feel an egg with egg binding,depends where egg is located. Have you recently introduced any new birds? What does her poop look like? Have you ruled out crop issues,such as impacted/sour crop?